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If you’re tired of looking sleepy or under the weather, there are plenty of things you can try to give your eyes a lift. Here are some quick fixes:

1) Drink several glasses of water. Eyes tend to get puffy due to water retention, which is caused by a high concentration of salt in the area around the eyes. If you ate a very salty dinner or cried before bed you might notice increased puffiness in the morning. Drinking plenty of water flushes the area and causes the swelling to go down.

•On particularly puffy days, keep drinking water all day long to keep yourself hydrated.

•Avoid substances that tend to dehydrate you, like caffeine and alcohol.

2) Apply something cold to your eyes. Eye puffiness is a buildup of fluids in the tissues around your eyes, and like other types of swelling, it can be reduced with the application of a cool compress of some kind like cucumber slices or cooled tea bags. Both work well to temporarily reduce puffiness. All you have to do is lie back and place them over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes or until they grow warm. Or you can go old school by putting 2 metal tablespoons in the fridge and apply them daily by placing the backs against your eyes.

3) Put potatoes over the puffiness. Potatoes are said to have natural astringent properties.

•Peel raw potatoes. Cut in half. Place the halves over your eyes for 10 minutes. The potato will cool your eyes and any swelling will decrease.

•Try grated potato.

Simply grate a fresh potato and apply it to your eyes for 15 minutes, then rinse.

Other possible causes of puffy eyes include:

Lying down for several hours in a horizontal position and then standing up can lead the fluid that was resting under your eyes to suddenly be pulled down by gravity. Try using an extra pillow while sleeping so that the fluid is not as drastically drawn down when you get up to reduce the puffiness. If you don’t sleep horizontally, and instead sleep on your stomach, try to move toward sleeping on your back instead. Stomach sleepers tend to have the puffiest eyes, since this position allows fluid to collect there. Determine if you have a condition associated with puffy eyes. Sometimes the swelling is a side effect of another condition. Getting treated for the condition may help cure your puffy eyes. Here are a few conditions that commonly lead to eye puffiness: pregnancy, hormonal variation in the menstrual cycle, dermatitis (sensitive skin is more likely to swell in response to irritants), allergies, mononucleosis (puffy eyes may be an early symptom of infection, medication (puffiness or water retention could be a side effect), or other more serious medical conditions.

For thousands of years women and men have been wearing lipstick. Thank goodness, it has evolved through the years! Here are a few fun facts that I discovered while researching some information for my CIDESCO thesis:

1) The average amount of money that a woman spends on makeup in her lifetime is about $15,000. $1780 of that goes towards lipstick.

2) One of the most expensive lipsticks in the world is Guerlain’s KissKiss Gold and Diamonds Lipstick, which will set you back $62,000. While their original KissKiss lipstick costs only $34, what you’re really paying for here is the bling. The tube is made from 110 grams of 18k gold and encrusted with 199 diamonds. You get your pick of 15 exclusive shades, and it’s refillable.

3) Not surprisingly, men and women in Ancient Egypt both wore lipstick as a symbol of their status. They applied it almost daily with wet sticks of wood, and favored colors such as magenta, blue-black, and orange.

4) Meanwhile, in Ancient Greece, lipstick fell out of fashion among high-class citizens, and was instead used to identify prostitutes. In fact, it was the law that prostitutes couldn’t go out without wearing lipstick, lest they “deceive” men.

5) Elizabeth Taylor famously said, “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together,” Unless, of course, you were a woman on one of her movie sets—the actress allegedly demanded that no one else could wear red lipstick on set.

6) Another great fact, is that while all other cosmetics were rationed in Great Britain during WWII, lipstick was kept in production because Winston Churchill felt it boosted morale.

7) Meanwhile, aside looking at lipstick as moral booster, a peak at the ingredients will reveal that lipstick was made from toxic ingredients, animal fat, sheep sweat, and ox marrow. But which ingredient has stayed the same through the years? Fish scales. This ingredient helps lipsticks today boost in shine.

8) According to a study conducted by the University of Manchester, men look at women wearing lipstick longer than women with bare lips. They were most entranced by red lipstick, staring at it for an average of 7.3 seconds, while their gaze usually lingers on women with pink lipstick for an average of 6.7 seconds. They only glanced at women with bare lips for an average of 2.2 seconds.

9) Swiping on some lipstick can be a huge confidence booster and mood transformer, but in England in the 1500s, people believed that lipstick actually had magical powers. Queen Elizabeth was reportedly a huge believer in the healing powers of lipstick, and was said to have had half an inch of lipstick on at the time of her death.

If you are at the point of taking your Esti State Boards, please read this! I just finished taking this test, and I have to pass on my experience.

I wish I would have been more confident. First of all, You will be the only one prepared for the exact test…written and practical! What Shayna taught you is the exact practical, period!

The study guide…study it! It is the best!

When taking the test, try and stay the night there. Don’t stay by the testing site because there isn’t much to do there. Go a couple of exits up and stay where the mall is. You have to relax and have dinner. There are lots of restaurants to chose from. Do not study! Go get your kit the day before. They walk you through the mock test, about 20 mins, to get to know your kit. Just separate the massage and mask bag. You can do that at the rent a kit place. After you go through your kit, do not open it again until your test time! Don’t! What we have at school is the exact version of this kit! By the way, your fellow test takers have no idea what they are in for, but you do! Keep that in mind!

Be confident! That was my problem. I knew everything, but I was scared of the element of surprise! There is none! I’m here to tell you that!

Hopefully at least one of your classmates has the same test date as you. If so, get a room at the same place or share a room.

Here is what to expect:

It’s very institutional and they keep it mysterious. So you wait in a very plain waiting room. They call your name and separate the applicants between two proctors, but you will be in the same testing room, all computer workstations. The picture you take at test time is the same picture you will have on your license. Just so you know! Take your time to answer; you can go back to it if you are unsure. It’s not final until you are very, very sure! You have two hours. Study what Shayna gave you to study!

Practical: For the love of all the money you’ve invested, you’ve got this! You will be nervous! Get over it! They know it! Just pretend you are in theory preparing for this. It’s literally the exact environment. I messed up on the stupidest things. You might, but not nearly as much as you think. If you forget to do something, go back and get cover it. Sanitize!

The only thing that was frustrating was at the end. All the people you take the test with are in the same room finding out if you passed or not—which you will not fail! But they call each person up to the “window.” You’ll see what I’m talking about. When the agent asks to verify your address, you passed! I think they leave the ones that don’t pass—which is highly unlikely for any of you—until last to save them from humiliation. Everyone passed, and even the ones that I know that were totally screwing up!

It’s truly a bonding experience with those you will never see again in life. I just wanted to shed some light on what to expect.

You have this! Cinta Aveda Institute totally prepares you for this wonderful career you are embarking on!

How do I conceal my problem skin? While there is no fast fix for acne, eczema, or bad sunburn, I found some great cover-up advice that will help skin look its best. It’s all about the prep!

Acne

Make sure skin is hydrated by mixing oil-free moisturizer with foundation containing salicylic acid. To apply, use your index finger to pat mixture into the skin. Let it set for 30 seconds then look for any dry skin flakes and remove with tweezers. Don’t use powder to set the foundation—the chalkiness factor can amplify any blemishes.

Eczema

You want to apply a moisturizing cream cleanser onto a makeup-removing wipe. Rub all over the face in a circular motion. Then rinse with cold water. Blend moisturizer onto the skin with fingertip. Next combine a dollop of foundation with a pea-size amount of moisturizer. Rub your fingers together to blend together, and then pat onto skin, applying evenly. Using foundation with a moisturizer is a soothing yet effective treatment for concealing and breakouts.

Sunburn

Rub fresh Aloe Vera Gel over the burn and let it sit for 30 minutes. This will allow the skin to cool, and will calm the redness. Aloe also helps expedite the healing process of the burn. You will then apply a creamy moisturizer on top. Select a foundation two tones darker than your normal skin tone to cover the redness. You should wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 daily to avoid burning in the first place.

As you can see, each skin ailment’s resolution is about mixing a moisturizer with a foundation. I hope this information helps.

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The opinions expressed in each of these blog posts are those of its author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Cinta Aveda Institute, its principals, administrators, contractors, faculty, or students.

No representations of accuracy are made by the Institute as to any of the posts on this blog. The instructions and advice found here comes without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Consult with your own medical professional before taking advice or using a product that could affect your health.

Links to external resources or references to the products and services of others do not constitute an endorsement of the site, services, products, or content found therein. Beauty products and techniques may have results that vary from person to person. Any use of the information found on this blog is entirely at your own risk.